Discovery, Desire, and Dignity
by diamonds of onyx
Summary: Chad, Troy, and Ryan are all on a road to self discovery, but they never thought that they'd all help each other in process in more ways than one. Please R&R :
1. Intro

Intro

Chad was so over it.

School was coming to an end soon, and though he couldn't wait for the summer, he could defiantly wait to do the heap of work towering on his desk for his finals. As he sat going through pile after pile of worksheets, he heard the distant hum of his cell phone vibrating. He got up, crossed his room, and picked up a pair of sweats (he had thrown them on after practice, and then thrown them on his floor once he was home), and rummaged through the pockets until he found his cell phone.

He automatically expected it to be Taylor. They'd broken up about a month ago, and she'd told him that something about him had changed, and maybe it was just better if they remained friends. Though the break up had been a surprise to the dark skinned athelete, he couldn't disagree with her. He thought they were better off as buddies anyway.

The caller-i.d. read one name. A simple name. A name that had played a significant role in Chad's life thus far: Troy Bolton. He was right on the brink of flipping the phone open and sparking up a conversation with his oldest and best friend, however, his eyes set sight on his desk and the tremendous amount of work that he had to do, and the thought otherwise. He ignored the call.

Troy was so over Chad.

They'd been best friends since he could remember. Chad had always been there for him whenever he needed him, and vice versa. He knew that he could depend on Chad for anything. But lately, things had been a little different. Chad hadn't stopped being his same old lovable self, but somehow, Troy felt like things had changed.

He didn't even know if it was Chad. It might've just been him. Within the last few months, he would find himself day-dreaming in class, staring at Chad. Or when they hit the showers after practice, he'd catch himself admiring the defined muscles in Chad's arms and chest. Troy was so conflicted and confused that he even broke up with Gabriella, he told her that he just needed a little space to think. Even though she was a sweet girl, he knew he just wasn't really into her like that.

Troy knew he wasn't gay, or at least he thought he wasn't. Whatever was going on, he just wanted things to be the way they used to, he wanted things to feel normal again.

Ryan Evans was so over both, Chad and Troy.

Ryan had been head over heels for Troy since he met him. He had admired everything about him, and spent endless days and nights crying, hoping, and silently begging Troy to feel the same way about him. Once he realized that Troy was would never feel that way about a guy like him, let alone any guy, he gave up hope and moved on.

His latest crush had been Chad. He loved how simple Chad was. How Chad always knew what to say, and when to say it. And though it annoyed the hell out of him, he thought the way he cradled that stupid basketball, like it was his child, was cute. He soon found himself back in the same boat, being crazy about someone, and never having them acknowledge, let alone know about his feelings and reciprocate them. As he came to realize that he had once again allowed himself to be dragged into another one of these situations, he became frustrated and swore to himself for the innumerable time that he was done with men.


	2. Chapters 1 & 2

Chapter 1

The next day at school everyone seemed normal and carried on with their days, which was nothing out of the ordinary. The last class of the day Chad, Troy and Ryan all had together. While Ms. Darbus droned on and on, boring everyone to death, the students began to let their minds wander out of boredom.

Ryan sat in the back of the classroom side by side with Sharpay. They deliberately chose to sit in the back, that way, they could talk about, and critique everyone else without them ever knowing. Ryan was scoping out the class, and he saw nothing of particular interest until he happened to catch a glimpse of Troy. He looked like he was in deep thought. But it somehow seemed even more intense than that, like he was planning, or maybe even deliberating something. Ryan then focused his attention to what Troy was looking at. That's when he saw that Troy wasn't just off in la-la land lolly-gagging. He was looking at Chad, no better yet, _staring_ at Chad.

Did he put a sign on Chad's back, was something stuck in his curly fro? Ryan couldn't figure out just why Troy was staring at him so intently. Then it hit him- Troy was looking at Chad very much like Ryan himself had when he had it bad for Troy. _No, that can't be it. He's Troy Bolton, the golden boy for God's sake, he couldn't be- is he- Troy's gay? _ Ryan's thoughts were running a mile a minute. He would've kept right on staring at Troy staring at Chad if it hadn't been for a little pink post-it note stuck to the edge of his desk.

Sharpay had written him a note. _What are you looking at? Tell me you're not back at it with Troy?! Give it up Ry, he's just not into you! _ He read it and quickly responded to it with a fierce shaking of his head. He simply wrote back: _No, it's not that. I'll talk to you later_.

For the rest of the class, Ryan entertained himself with watching Troy and Chad. Once the day was finally over, he had gained the courage to go and confront Troy head on. He met him in the parking lot by his truck.

"Hey Troy." Troy was just on the brink of closing his door. "You don't have practice today?" Troy gave him a puzzled look, stepped back out of the truck, and leaned against its side.

"No, not today. Dad's out of town on a conference, so we get an early weekend I guess." Troy couldn't guess for the life of him what the blond haired drama king could've wanted. "So what's up Ryan?"

"Oh nothing. Uh, what're you doing this weekend? I was thinking of throwing a little 'end of the year' bash tomorrow at my house. You in?" Of course Ryan hadn't planned any party, but he was a quick thinker on his feet and he didn't think his parents would even be in town, and of course he knew that Sharpay wouldn't mind the extra attention.

"Uh, that sounds nice. I might drop by for a few."

"Yeah, do that. Everyone's going to be there, Gabby, Taylor, Sharpay, Me, Kelsi, Jason, Zeke, and you, if you're interested. " Troy was barley even paying attention anymore. "Oh, and Chad might come." The Golden-Boy's head snapped up, and a goofy grin spread across his face.

"Okay, cool. I'll defiantly be there." Said Troy.

"Alright, see you around 7:30, 8-ish?"

"No problem." And with that, the two boys parted ways.

Chapter 2

Chad was up in his room, grateful that it was finally Friday. He was changing into a pair of shorts, and a wife-beater. That evening, he and Troy were supposed to meet to play basketball in the court a few blocks down from his house. Chad had about twenty minutes or so to finish getting ready and head over to the court.

"Chad!" His mother called from the bottom of the stairs. "You've got company Hun!" Chad quickly smiled to himself. Even though Troy had been his best friend since forever, and he was constantly over his house, his mother still had a habit of calling him "company." It had almost become a running joke in their family.

"Be right down!" he shouted back. He grabbed his gym bag, and flew around the corner and down the stairs. "Ready to shoot….some…." Chad stopped mid-sentence. Who he saw standing in his doorway wasn't Troy at all. Instead, it was, of all people, Ryan Evans. _What_ _could he be here for? _ Chad thought to himself. "Uh, hey Ryan." Was all that he could muster to say.

"Hey Chad. You look….nice."

"Um, thanks. So what's up?" Chad laid his bag on the bottom stair, and took a seat next to it.

"Nothing much really. I was just going to have a little get together tomorrow at my house if you wanted to come. Everyone from schools going to be there, and I just wanted to know if you'd like to come." Chad was a little taken aback. _Why didn't he just send paper invites?_ He thought.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun. I'll be there. Definitely." Hearing exactly the response that he wanted to, Ryan smiled and simply replied,

"Fabulous."

~*~*~*~*~*~

About fifteen minutes later, Chad walked onto the court and saw Troy patiently waiting for him, sitting on top of his own basketball. Chad's face lit up as soon as he saw Troy. This week especially had been really hard on him, and he hadn't had a lot of time to hang out with Troy, so it was a relief to see him.

"Hey man, what's going on?" Chad put his ball on the ground and popped a squat beside Troy.

"Not a lot. I haven't really seen you this week. How've you been?"

"Busy, busy, busy. But never too busy for our usual b-ball sessions!" Chad laughed lightly while Troy attempted a half-hearted smile. After the laughter died away, both of the boys sat there for a minute, neither really sure whether or not to break the silence, or reside in it. "So, you ready to shoot some hoops or what?" Chad playfully asked at last.

Troy's heart almost skipped a beat. He had decided that he'd wanted to talk to Chad about his feelings of late, but now, he wasn't even sure if he could admit his thoughts to himself. Albeit, he knew that he could tell Chad anything and Chad wouldn't judge him one way or another. But something just seemed different now, not to mention the fact that that particular week they hadn't seen each other nearly as much as they normally did.

"Chad, I've been meaning to talk to you lately…" his words trailed off mid-sentence, and his cheeks turned a deep fuchsia.

"What's up, buddy?" Chad's big brown eyes, tied Troy's tongue. _Damn,_ he thought. _How can I ever tell someone as beautiful as him, that someone like me is in love with him? _ As he sat there contemplating how to spill his soul to his best friend, Chad sat there patiently and silently, unbeknownst to Troy, just as nervous as he; though, he wasn't quite sure why.

"Chad…I….it's just that-" not a moment later, the sky broke asunder, and there was a gargantuan downpour.

"Sorry man, guess we'll have to talk later!" Chad shouted over the rain and wind as he sprinted through the water towards his car.

"Yeah, talk to you later." Troy whispered, mostly to himself as he watched the boy he was undeniably in love with, jump in his car, blow his horn once, wave, and then pull off.

Troy was thankful for the storm in an ironic, twisted sort of fate. That way, Chad couldn't tell that the rain water hitting his face was minimal in amount compared to the tears streaming down his cheeks.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

That evening when Troy got home, he didn't feel like doing anything with, or talking to anyone other than Chad. He slugged his way up the stairs and into his room, despite the fact that his family was gathered around the table, ready for dinner.

"Troy!" His mother called up to him. "Come and eat. I made your favorite, steak and potatoes!"

"Thanks but I'm just not hungry mom." He had laid on his bed and covered his face with both arms. He tried breathing deeply to calm himself, but it didn't work. Nothing would make it better until he could talk to Chad, _really _talk to him. It only took a few minutes for Troy to hear the light rap on his door that he knew could only belong to his mother. "Come in." he answered half-heartedly. Susan Bolton wandered into her son's messy, but loved room.

"Honey, is everything okay? You never miss out on your favorite. Something must really be wrong." She took a seat next to Troy on his bed.

"No, I'm fine." Troy lied, only to no avail. Susan knew her only son too well. Her face became mingled looks of disbelief, worry, and anticipation.

"Troy," she spoke softly. "I know you better than anyone else in the world." She stopped and smiled. "Well, maybe not Chad, but still." She laughed at her little joke, but by herself. She took notice of that immediately. "What is it sweetheart? Did something happen between you and Chad?" Troy looked up, and something inside of him broke. His large crystal blue eyes suddenly were re-filled with water that spilled from their brims in a torrent of tears. The brunette boy lost it and started to cry uncontrollably and unstoppably into his mother's arms and lap. All the while, Susan ran her fingers through his hair and was gently cooing meaningless words and phrases to try and calm him.

When at last it seemed like Troy was starting to regain control of himself and his emotions, Susan rubbed his back and smiled at him.

"You can talk to me about anything honey, you know that."

"I know I can." Troy sniffled and wiped his eyes. "Its just that…I don't know how you would take this one, Mom." He stared at her intently, and all the while, Susan stared back at him.

"Well, what is it Troy? Does it involve school? Did you do something against the law? Are you and Chad in some sort of Trouble?" Susan's mind was racing a mile a minute. Troy had always been a good, well-mannered, studious child. She and Troy had always been so close. Not only was she shocked at the fact that she hadn't noticed that something had been bothering him until now, but that he felt as if he couldn't tell her what that something was.

"Okay. Here goes." Troy inhaled and exhaled a huge breathe and turned so that he and his mother were directly facing each other. "Mom, I…uh, I think I might be…gay."

The room filled with an impenetrable silence, and by the look on his mother's face, Troy instantly knew that he had spoken too soon. The both of them just sat there trading confused and hurt glances. _Great, fucking great._ Troy thought to himself. _If this is how your mother reacts, someone who's supposed to love you unconditionally, I can only imagine what Chad will say if I ever tell him_. After several minutes that instead felt like hours, Susan cleared her throat, raised her eyebrows, and gently shook her head.

"Well, Troy…" She stopped mid-sentence, shook her head again, and finally continued speaking. "That was definitely not what I was expecting." Before she could say another word, Troy turned away from her in what seemed like a flash. He buried his head into his pillow and began to cry again. "Sweetie, sweetie no. I'm not saying that like it's a bad thing." Troy, not fully believing that he had just heard what he had, only slightly turned back in her direction, though he dared not look at her. "Troy, I'm your mother, and regardless of what happens, ever, I'll always love you. It doesn't matter to me. It was a shock, yes. But I could never be disappointed or stop loving you because of who you chose to love." She had placed his chin in her hand, and then rubbed his face as she smiled sweetly.

"So, you're not mad?" Troy asked bleakly.

"Of course not honey. I have no reason to be mad." She held out both arms and cuddled her son as lovingly as she ever had. "So is that what this is about? You and Chad? Are you two together, or did you break-up?" Although admitting that her son was gay was tearing a small hole in heart, she had no choice but to acknowledge the situation, learn from it, and move on. Susan had never even suspected such a fate for her only boy, but now that it was here, she knew there was nothing she could do about it, except support him. She loved Troy and always would, gay or not.

"But that's just it Mom." Troy explained to her. "He doesn't even know. Well, I guess no one does. You're the first person I ever told." She smiled a little, though everything was still happening so fast, Susan's heart felt a little more content once she knew that Troy still trusted the fact that he could confide in her.

As for Troy, he couldn't have felt more relieved. Once the words had escaped his mouth, the look on his mother's face was enough to scare him into shame. But now that he knew she was in his corner no matter what, he couldn't have picked a better person, place, or time to come out. The thought comforted him a little, but as soon as he thought of Chad again, his heart sank.

"I just want to tell him how I feel, but I'm so afraid that he won't feel the same."

"But c'mon Troy," Susan started. "Even if he doesn't, it's Chad. He thinks the world of you. And just like me, he couldn't hate you if he tried." Susan rubbed Troy's back in reassurance.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but still…I'm scared." Troy curled into his mother's embrace like he hadn't done since he was a little boy.

"I know sweetheart. But if it's what you really want- and it is right?" she looked down into his cobalt eyes.

"More than anything." Troy answered eagerly. Susan nodded.

"Then sometimes you just have to go for it. No matter what anybody says, no matter what the consequences are. It's now or never."

"Now or never." Troy repeated. "Wow. Even though it scared me to death, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime baby, anytime." With that, Susan kissed Troy's forehead and proceeded to get up off of the bed. "Now c'mon down to supper. All that worrying must have worked up an appetite."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Troy said as he proceeded to follow his mother down the steps to dinner. He felt like part of the great weight of his secret had been lifted off of his shoulders. Before he walked out of his room, he reached to close the door and caught a glimpse of a picture on his desk that he and Chad had taken together during a past summer's vacation. Though the talk with his mom had left him feeling like he was relieved, he couldn't help but to feel the slightest gnaw of worry start to creep back into his heart.

He glanced once more at the picture of him and that heartbreakingly beautiful boy he loved so much. Troy looked down, shook his head, and slowly closed the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical 1,2, or 3, any of it's characters, etc. This is purely a work of fiction._

_A/N: Hey guys! I'm finally learning how to work ! Okay, so this is chapter 4 and in advance, I'm sorry that it took so long to come out and that it's so short! I just got a new job, and it's draining the life out of me! Regardless, I hope you guys enjoy it, and I promise there shall be more to come soon. *D*~*o*~*O*_

Chapter 4

It was finally The day of the party. Ryan could hardly wait for the bell to ring. It was 2:47. 3:00 was so close, yet it seemed so far away. He had a lot of homework to do, but nothing could've stopped him from having his party. He was determined to find out what was going on between Chad and Troy. At last the bell rang. As soon as it did, Ryan hit the door before Sharpay even had the time turn around and catch up with him. By the time she'd been able to get a hold of him, he was shutting the door to his BMW in the parking lot.

"God Ry, where's the fire?" She was leaning over his window, which he had reluctantly let down to talk to her.

"There isn't one, but I'd just like to get home soon so I can start setting up for this party."

"What party?" Ryan's mouth fell open for a moment, as he was completely flabbergasted. He had totally forgotten all about telling her!

"Uh, I'm so sorry Shar, I guess I forget to tell you, I was going to throw a little get together tonight and invite a few people from school." Sharpay put her hand on her hip and thought a moment.

"So that's why you wanted to drive your own car today," She said, almost to herself. "Well, do Mom and Dad know?"

"Yeah, I asked them about it yesterday." Although he was in a hurry to get home, he decided that he could take a few minutes to talk to his twin. After all, he'd forgotten to fill her in on the whole thing in the first place. And even though Sharpay would never say so or show it, he could tell that she was a little hurt. They never kept anything from each other, even the few and far between things that didn't involve the other; they still shared everything with one another. Sharpay shook her head up and down slowly, as she started to walk off. "But uh, you know," Ryan shouted right before she was too far. "No party is a _real _party without you." Suddenly her eyes lit up, and she smiled at him.

"Duh!" She replied as she winked at him and walked over to her own Mercedes.

~*~*~*~*~

Standing in front of his three full length mirrors, he was deliberating on what to wear. A simple blue and pink sweater vest, white shirt, blue pants, and baby pink paperboy hat were just the ticket. As he gave himself a little wink of approval, he was ready to get this party started, in more ways than one. Ryan looked down at his Rolex. It was 7:37. His guests should've been arriving pretty soon. No sooner than he thought that, he heard the doorbell ring.

"Perfect." He said aloud to himself. Giving himself one final glance in the mirrors he smiled. "Party time!"

When he stepped into the hallway, he saw that Sharpay had just stepped out of her room too. Looking fabulous as always, she looked especially gorgeous tonight. Her makeup was flawless and her skin almost seemed to glow. She had her hair swept up in a loose, but elegant bun. Fitted to her body like a glove, was in a black and silver Gucci cocktail dress that he had gotten her for her birthday last year. She was clad in silver and rhinestone jewelry, and classy black stilettos that had tiny rhinestones set into the straps.

"Wow, Shar. You look great." He said to her.

"You don't clean up so bad yourself." She said to him as she smiled and walked over to link her arm in his. They waltzed down the stairs together and towards the front door. Everything was set up just right. All of the furniture was removed from the family room, and Ryan had had a tiny dance floor laid down. There was a deejay booth to the right, and on the left a row of tables filled with drinks, snacks, and other goodies. Ryan took a final look around the room and its dimmed lights, and had thought to himself what a good job he'd done, seeing as the thought of having the bash had only occurred to him yesterday. When he realized he was fully satisfied, he turned his attention back towards the door.

The first guests were Taylor and Gabriella. Even though they weren't the two he was waiting to see, Ryan was happy to see the two of them regardless.

"Hey guys! C'mon in and make yourselves comfortable." Ryan gave them hugs and showed them over to the concession tables.

"Wow Ryan," Taylor said. "This is really nice, thanks for having us over!"

"Yeah," Chimed in Gabriella. "I didn't even know about it until yesterday, but by the time it got to me everybody was really excited to come! Now I see why!" The three of them laughed together for a moment. The door bell then rang again.

One by one the guests began to mill in. Some of them, Ryan hadn't even invited himself personally, but he didn't mind. Even more so than wanting to find out the deal between Chad and Troy, he was happy to have the people over to party that he threw and didn't a slightly larger crowd.

Finally around 8:15 Chad came bouncing in.

"Hey man, great shin dig!" he said when he finally caught sight of Ryan.

"Thanks. Glad you could come." Ryan wanted so badly to ask where Troy was, but he couldn't think of the right way to phrase it without sounding a little suspicious. However, he didn't need to, Chad had asked him before he had the chance.

"So is Troy here? Have you seen him yet?"

"Uh, no. I was just about to ask you the same thing." Ryan replied, happy that he Chad had brought it up and not himself.

"No, I haven't seen him since yesterday. We were in the middle of talking, and then it started to rain so I had to leave, We haven't caught up since." Chad's eyes took on a slightly far away look for a moment. Ryan couldn't figure out if it was longing, sadness, anger, or confusion. All of a sudden, Chad seemed to snap back into himself. "Oh well. I'll see him tonight and we can talk about it then." Chad patted Ryan's shoulder kindly, and then walked over to mingle with the other guests.

Ryan sighed as he watched him walk off. Everything about the brown skinned boy was irresistible to him; his light-footed gait, he bouncing curly fro, and most of all, his heartbreakingly adorable smile. He suddenly caught himself. He couldn't let people catch him staring at Chad for too long or too hard, he didn't want to give too much away, not yet. Just as he snapped out of that thought, he heard the doorbell ring once more. It was about 8:30 by now. He'd figured no one else was going to show. He straightened out his vest and put his hand on the knob. A wide smile spread across his lips as he pulled the door open and stepped to the side of it.

"Troy! So good to see you, come right on in."

_So there it was! Please, let me know if there's anything you'd like to see, any comments, things you like improved. I'm even taking suggestions for the upcoming chapters! Hope to hear from y'all soon! ___


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Troy walked into the Evans' expansive and expensive home. Everything was just as lavish as he had expected it to be, but it was beautiful non the less.

"This is great Ryan, thanks for the invite." He said as he finished pouring himself a drink.

"Oh, its nothing," Ryan said dismissively, burning to start interrogating Troy about his questions concerning him and Chad.

"Well, I guess I'll go around and speak to everyone for a bit, but no doubt we'll catch up." Troy smiled and then started to walk away. However, right before he turned Ryan caught a hold of his arm.

"Troy," he started. "You know that…I'm here for you. You can tell me anything, you know that right?" This had caught Troy off guard.

"Uh, yeah. I guess." He replied.

"Okay, just wanted you to know." Ryan said with a tiny sparkle in his eyes. Troy nodded politely and walked away. _What the hell was that all about? _He thought to himself. _Oh well. I just wanna find Chad so we can talk_.

Troy found himself wandering around the huge family room, chatting here and there to his friends from school, occasionally dancing, or laughing with Gabby, Jason, or anyone else that he'd conversed with. He would see Chad now and then, but it always seemed like when Troy was ready to find him and sit him down and talk, either he was in conversation, or Chad was. They were practically walking circles around each other!

Finally, around 11:30, Troy decided to seek out Chad and spill out what he had to say to him. He had caught up to him finally. Chad was standing next to the dance floor. He looked utterly perfect, standing next to Zeke and Jason, his head thrown back, laughing, his beautiful teeth and skin glistening in the subtle light of the room. Troy let a faint sigh escape his lips. How was he ever going to tell Chad how much he loved him? As he strode over to where the guys were standing the butterflies fluttered faster and faster in his belly. Troy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was it. He was finally going to get everything out into the open.

Troy's lifted his eyes, and his mouth almost fell open. Chad was no longer there. Discreetly, he rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing everything correctly. However, his vision hadn't betrayed him, Chad wasn't there anymore. A little shaken from what took place, he shook it off and walked over to the guys anyway.

"Hey, what's up?" Troy asked his friends politely.

"Oh hey Troy!" said Jason. The other boys nodded to him and quickly murmured their hello's. "So what's going on man, how do you like this party?" Whatever Troy's answer, he could tell that nothing he could say would shake how much Jason (and the other guests for that matter) was enjoying himself.

"Oh, its great. Really nice. I'm glad I came." The boys agreed and laughed for a moment. After the short lived laughter died down, they all sort of just stood there together awkwardly. Troy guessed that it was his turn to break the ice. "So, um, have you guys seen Chad?"

"Yeah, he was just here a few minutes ago." Jason shrugged and turned to Zeke to strike up a conversation. However, right before he could get the first few words out, Troy blurted out,

"Well, did you see where he went? I have to talk to him about something sorta really important." All of the guys stopped their talking and laughing and turned with serious faces toward Troy. Zeke was the one to break the silence.

"Yeah man. He was standing right here talking to us, and then all of a sudden, Ryan Evans came up and grabbed him, rushed off with him upstairs. I thought I heard him say that HE had something really important to talk to Chad about." As puzzling as that was, Troy mumbled something that could've passed as thanks, and found himself climbing the stairs in search of the boy he loved.

~*~*~*~*~

"Ryan! Ryan wait! What the hell is going on?" Chad looked at Ryan with a face of confusion, shock, and semi-anger. He had no idea why Ryan had dragged him away from the party so abruptly and then, of all places, was taking him upstairs to his bedroom.

"Oh you know EXACTLY what is going on." Said Ryan as he suddenly pushed his face against Chad's in a slow and sloppy kiss.

"Woah, man!" Chad said as he pushed Ryan off as gently as he could. "I didn't know that you felt that way about me, but I uh…" his words trailed off.

"You what? You aren't gay, you don't like me the same way I like you? Go ahead Chad; feed me one of your bullshit excuses for not indulging in what you _know_ you want." Ryan moved even closer to Chad so that their chests were heaved against one another. His hands were grazing around the waist of Chad's jeans, when all of a sudden, he cupped his manhood out the outside of his pants. Chad let out a steamy groan. The friction of his zipper against himself was painful, but in a twisted and bazaar way, sort of pleasurable. As Ryan stroked his hand movements up and down Chad's crotch, he moved a string of curls that was falling into Chad's face. He leaned in and flicked across the lobe of Chad's ear with his tongue. Seductively, he breathed into his ear: "And you know you want it."

The way Ryan was whispering and touching him sent a chill up Chad's back. He was lonely. _Fuck it. _He thought to himself_. You'll never have a chance with Troy anyway. What were you thinking? Here's a guy that really likes you, and who knows what could happen?_

"Anything could happen." Ryan whispered seeming to read Chad's thoughts. "Just trust yourself, trust me." Looking deep into his beautiful eyes, Chad smiled and finally kissed Ryan back. His hands slid down his back and under his shirt. Ryan arched his back, stretched and purred like a cat. A subtle sigh escaped his lips that sent a whole new erotic shiver bolting its way through Chad's body. Now that Ryan's shirt was forgotten and on the floor, Chad felt as if his should join it. The two half naked boys, flicked, nibbled, sucked, kissed, and felt every nook and cranny of visible bare flesh on each other.

"I wanna fuck you…" Ryan blinked wildly and temporarily (almost unwillingly), detached himself from Chad, and stood there staring at him. Chad, who was staring back at Ryan, let a devilish smile spread over his beautiful, full lips.

"And I thought that I was going to have to do some heavy convincing." Ryan laughed lightly, as did Chad, and then they met in a heart stopping, body throbbing kiss. Ryan broke away once more. "And just for the record Chad, I wanna fuck you too."

"I know." Chad was now toying with the band of Ryan's jeans, and dallying around the button and zipper.

"I've wanted to be with you for a long time," Ryan continued.

"I know." Chad replied once more, this time, purely focused on getting the unbuttoned and unzipped pants off of Ryan.

"And Troy, forget about him. I'll be everything to you he could be, and more."

"I kno- wait, wait, wait, what?" Chad was bent down in front of Ryan; his hands placed on the lighter boys hipbones as if they were handles. His lips were moist, knowing that he was seconds away from swallowing Ryan whole. "How'd you know about me and Troy, I mean, not saying that there was a me and Troy, but still." Chad's full brown eyes were boring into Ryan's with an intensity that Ryan could've only imagined before. As he stared to speak, Ryan shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess its just one of those things. Everybody loves Troy. Troy's great this, Troy's wonderful that. So with all the talk about this guy, its not hard to see how anybody could fall in love with him. Even you, his best friend." Ryan cupped Chad's face with both hands, and gently led him off of the floor so that he was once again eye-level with him. "But I want you to know, that I want you, and I'll be good to you, even better than Troy!" Their foreheads were touching, and sweetly, Chad ran his hands over Ryan's cheek.

"So you'll be better than Troy huh?" he asked playfully. "Troy who?" and with that, the two boys laughed lightly and once more embraced and kissed. All of a sudden, in the middle of their kiss, the two boys heard a gasp and a vase break.

When they looked to see what the noise was, Troy was standing in the hallway, beside the vase that he had obviously accidentally knocked over. Huge tears were streaming down his face, and his hand was cupped over his mouth. He shook his head back and forth in disbelieve.

"TROY!" Both Chad and Ryan shouted simultaneously. But it was too late, Troy was already speeding across the hall, down the stairs, and out of the door.


End file.
